LOGINCHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:“Tell me she’s not coming back for our kids.”Lyra’s voice broke the heavy silence in the safehouse war room like glass shattering on tile. She stood at the far end of the table, arms wrapped tight around herself, eyes red from hours of silent crying she’d tried to hide from June and Theo. The words weren’t a question—they were a plea, raw and desperate, aimed straight at the man who had promised her safety more times than she could count.Dimitri looked up from the scattered papers and tablet screens, his face etched with exhaustion and something deeper, a guilt that carved lines around his eyes. He crossed the room in three long steps and pulled her into his chest without a word at first, one hand cradling the back of her head like she might shatter if he let go.“She’s not taking them,” he said, voice low and rough, vibrating against her hair. “Not June. Not Theo. Not Anna. I swear it on every promise I’ve ever made you, Lyra. We’re going to find this woman an
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN:By midnight, the family was gone from the house — tucked into two black SUVs bound for a safehouse Dimitri hadn't used in three years, one he'd almost forgotten he still kept stocked and ready. June had cried the whole drive, confused and scared, clutching her drawing of Anna's flower like it could shield them all. Theo had said nothing at all, which frightened Lyra more than tears would have.Now, past one in the morning, Dimitri sat at the head of a long table in the safehouse's war room — a space Lyra hadn't set foot in since before Anna was born — with Viktor on one side and Elena, summoned by a single phone call, on the other."Walk me through every person who's had access to that house in the last six months," Dimitri said. His voice had none of the softness from the porch swing left in it. "Everyone. Contractors. Deliveries. Anyone who so much as stepped past the front gate."Elena set her tablet down and began scrolling. "Security logs show forty-one dist
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: The knock came at eleven at night, three sharp raps that had no business sounding as ordinary as they did.Dimitri was already moving before Lyra fully registered it, years of instinct never quite as buried as he liked to pretend. He crossed to the door in three strides, gun drawn from the drawer by habit alone, and checked the peephole before easing it open.A courier stood on the porch, young, nervous, holding a plain manila envelope like it might bite him."Voss residence?" His voice cracked slightly. "I was told to deliver this directly. No signature required. The client was very specific.""What client?" Dimitri's tone had gone flat, the warmth of the evening draining out of it in an instant."I don't know, sir. Paid in cash. Said it had to be tonight." The courier didn't wait for a response — he was already backing off the porch, down the steps, into a car idling at the curb with its headlights off.Dimitri shut the door slowly and turned the envelope over i
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:Baby Anna’s soft coos filled the nursery as Lyra rocked her gently in the early morning light. Three months had passed since that chaotic, terrifying, perfect day in the hospital, and every sunrise still felt like a gift they’d fought tooth and nail to earn.Dimitri slipped into the room, hair still tousled from sleep, and wrapped his arms around them both from behind. “You should be resting,” he murmured against her neck, voice warm and rough. “She had you up three times last night.”“I don’t mind,” Lyra whispered, leaning back into him. “After everything… These quiet moments feel like miracles. Look at her. She’s smiling.”Anna waved tiny fists, her dark eyes—so much like Dimitri’s—lighting up at the sound of her father’s voice. Dimitri reached around and let her grab his finger. “Hey, little fighter. Are you keeping Mom up again?”Lyra smiled, tears pricking her eyes like they did most mornings lately. “She’s perfect. They all are. I keep waiting for the other
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR:“Push, Lyra! You’re almost there!”The doctor’s voice cut through the chaos of the delivery room, but all Lyra could hear was the thunder of her own heartbeat and Dimitri’s desperate grip on her hand. Pain ripped through her like fire. She screamed, bearing down with everything she had left.“I can’t,” she gasped, sweat pouring down her face, tears mixing with it. “It hurts too much. The baby—”“You can,” Dimitri growled, voice raw and fierce right beside her ear. His hand was shaking but his eyes never left hers. “You hear me? You fought mafia kings. You survived bullets and blood and hell itself. This baby is coming into a world we made safe. Push, love. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”Lyra let out another guttural cry, pushing through the agony. Monitors beeped wildly. A nurse shouted something about the baby’s heart rate dropping.Dimitri’s face went pale. “What’s happening? Tell me what’s happening!”The doctor didn’t look up. “Cord’s under pressure. One more
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:“Lyra, you’re bleeding.”Dimitri’s voice cut through the quiet nursery like a gunshot. He stood frozen in the doorway, eyes locked on the small red stain on her maternity pants, face drained of all color.Lyra’s hand flew to her stomach, heart slamming against her ribs. “No. Not now. The baby—” Her voice cracked as sharp pain lanced through her abdomen. She doubled over, gripping the crib rail. “Dimitri, something’s wrong. Call the doctor. Please.”He was across the room in two strides, scooping her up despite her protests. “Stay with me. Breathe. Just breathe, love.” His voice shook with barely contained terror as he carried her downstairs, phone already to his ear. “This is Dimitri Voss. My wife is pregnant, thirty weeks, she’s bleeding and in pain. We’re leaving now. Meet us at the hospital.”The car ride was a blur of red lights and Dimitri’s white-knuckled grip on the wheel. Lyra clutched her belly, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t lose this baby. Not







